The Groom's Cottage Supplemental
by Batwings79
Summary: This is a one-shot companion piece to "The Groom's Cottage". It is intended help those of you left with unresolved "tension" make it through to the epilogue. This scene takes place between Chapter 19 and the Epilogue.


_**A/N: Okay folks, I realize that there was a LOT of unresolved sexual tension created in "The Groom's Cottage." Writing a single M-rated chapter somewhere in the middle would have dumped the entire story over here into the "mature" section of the website and I didn't want anyone to lose track of the story, soooo….I've decided to post this chapter as a one-shot companion piece to "The Groom's Cottage." It takes place between Chapter 19 and the Epilogue. Be forewarned, if you don't like M-ness between our favorite DA characters, then please return to the main story and continue with the epilogue.**_

Charles woke and stretched out full length in the center of their fine new bed. He could hear Elsie singing softly to herself in another room. He lay back upon his pillow with a satisfied grin on his face as he thought back to what had happened earlier in the day.

He had shown her the cottage and they'd straightened out their differences and moved on to the 'making up' phase as Mr. Laughton had mentioned in his note. He chuckled to himself remembering that it was a rather short but very intense "making up." It had been awhile since they'd made love and all the false starts of the previous week had left them both wound up and ready to burst at the seams. The soft sounds of Elsie singing in the background finally brought him back down to earth.

He got up from the bed and pulled his trousers on and went in search of his wife. He found her in the bathroom pinning up her hair. He walked up behind her and gently nipped at the nape of her neck as he slipped his arms around her waist.

"Did I wake you?" she asked letting her head drop back onto his shoulder as he continued to nibble at her neck.

His stomach growled loudly at that moment, "No, I think it was my stomach." They both laughed as he continued, "What are _you_ doing?"

"I was dreaming of a long soak in this gorgeous bathtub. I wonder how Mr. Laughton talked his Lordship into such a large tub when the plumbing was put in," she shook her head. "I was just about to start the taps when you came in."

"Why don't you go ahead and have your bath and I'll go up to the main house and make us some sandwiches," he turned her in his arms and kissed her playfully on the nose.

"But Charles, it's almost midnight!"

"Neither one of us had lunch or dinner and I don't want Dr. Clarkson putting you back on bed rest again!" He pulled her closer and flashed a wicked smile, "Besides, I plan to keep you very busy for the next few hours and we'll both need to keep our strength up."

She could feel the coarse hair on his chest through the thin material of her dressing gown and her nipples hardened in response. "Are you sure you're that hungry?" she whispered in his ear as she pressed her hips against his, feeling the first stirrings of his arousal.

"Not fair, Elsie," he groaned in response and purposefully pulled away from her. "We really don't have much in the way of food down here yet and I am starving at the moment. I had asked Mrs. Patmore to prepare a cold supper for us but I never got back to kitchens to pick it up."

"And who's fault is that?" she smiled coyly at him.

"I didn't hear you complaining," he smiled down at her. "Have your soak, love, and I'll be back as soon as I can."

She stretched up to hug him and whispered in his ear, "I think the tub is big enough for both of us, if you hurry, you could join me before the water turns cold. Maybe we could play one or two of those games you mentioned last night."

"Grrrr…" he growled as he turned and walked out of the bathroom.

Elsie laughed and turned on the taps to begin filling the tub.

-o _O_ o-

Charles quickly shrugged into his shirt and jacket and bent to tie the laces on his shoes before heading out the front door of their cottage…_their_ cottage, he marveled to himself as he trotted up the walkway to the main house. He let himself in through the back door and noticed that there was a lamp lit in the servants' dining room. He walked through the doorway ready to give short shrift to anyone who was still downstairs at this hour and found the room empty.

The lamp was sitting next to a large picnic hamper with a note propped against the side. He recognized Anna's handwriting as he picked up the note and read the single line written upon it – "Look in the coldbox." He looked in the coldbox and found several plates of food wrapped in cloth with notes declaring that they were for "Mr. and Mrs. Carson." He smiled and made a mental note to thank Mrs. Patmore for fixing the meals as he had requested.

He removed the plates of food and returned to the dining room to place them in the picnic hamper. When he opened the top of the hamper, he noticed that there was a bottle of wine and a partial bottle of brandy in the bottom. That was likely Anna's work as well since she'd probably overhead Charles telling Mr. Bates where the bottle of brandy was when they were trying to sooth Daisy earlier in the week. It suddenly struck him as to how supportive the staff had been during Elsie's illness and especially in helping out with the cottage. He and Elsie would really need to make an effort to say thank you once the dust had settled a bit.

Elsie…his thoughts returned to her last words and he quickly packed the plates of food into the hamper and dashed out the back door. If he was lucky, she'd just be settling into the tub when he got back.

-o _O_ o-

The water was still running in the bathroom when he came through the front door of the cottage. He quickly placed all of the perishables into the coldbox and unpacked the bottle of wine and the two crystal glasses from the bottom of the hamper. He poured them both a glass of wine and proceeded to walk towards the bathroom.

He was standing in the bedroom looking through the open door to the bathroom just as she let her dressing gown slip from her shoulders to the floor. She was standing in profile as she reached up to adjust one of the pins holding her hair. Early in their relationship, she sometimes expressed concerns that she was not young anymore and that he could have his pick of any of the women in the village but seeing her like this, he knew that there would never be anyone else for him…she was magnificent! He watched as she stepped into the tub and sank down to rest her head against the back edge. He moved to lean against the bathroom doorframe.

Her eyes were closed as she spoke, "It's about time you got back."

"We were lucky, Mrs. Patmore had prepared the cold supper and put it into the coldbox. Anna packed a picnic hamper to carry everything in. We must be sure to thank them both tomorrow night." He bent to place the wine glasses on the floor next to the bathtub.

"Can I help you scrub your back?" he inquired looking down at her.

She opened her eyes and then leaned out over the edge of the tub to take hold of his belt and began undoing the buttons on his trousers, "I think it would be easier if you were here in the tub with me."

He quickly shed his shirt and toed off his shoes as she slid his trousers and shorts to the floor. He climbed into the tub behind her and pulled her close against his chest.

She melted back against him with a sigh letting her head settle back on his shoulder as he kissed her temple. She felt one of his hands slide around her waist and come up to cup her breast. His other arm went around her shoulder and across her chest.

He didn't know if it was being in the bath or just that it had been such a long and stressful week but he found that all he really wanted to do was sit and hold her and touch her. He traced his fingers along the column of her neck and down across her shoulder seeking out the small crescent shaped scar just above her collarbone. He had come to know every scar, every nuance of her skin and he took this opportunity to reacquaint himself with them.

She quickly discovered that with Charles seated behind her within the confines of the tub itself, there was little she could do except sit back and enjoy the myriad sensations that his touch was bringing her. She felt the small darts of pleasure begin to wind up in her center as he nuzzled and kissed that sensitive spot behind her ear. She particularly enjoyed the feel of his tongue as he licked and nibbled a path to the point where her neck joined her shoulder.

He felt his own arousal increase as her body began to respond to his ministrations. Her nipples stiffened as he rubbed his thumbs across them and kneaded her breasts. He felt his own nipples react when she arched her back and her shoulders rubbed against his chest. His hand drifted down past her navel and his fingers began to explore her center eliciting small moans from the back of her throat. A self-satisfied smile crossed his face knowing that he was the one who could bring forth all of those delicious sounds she was making.

She didn't know if it was being in the bath or all the unfulfilled evenings of seduction but she felt the tension of her release quickly building and soon she could feel her hips moving rhythmically against his hand and she could hear herself moaning and murmuring his name. It was the perfect combination of sensations as he gently bit down on the outside of her shoulder that sent hurtling over the brink.

He felt the waves begin to flow through her body as he continued to stroke her. His arms tightened slightly to hold her close and he whispered sweet words of love and devotion as she slowly came down from her release.

"Oh, Charles…" was all she could manage as the trembling began to dissipate and her breathing began to even out.

"Mmm, you are so beautiful when you let go like that," he murmured in her ear.

"The phrase 'limp as a noodle' comes to mind," she said when coherent thoughts became possible.

"You'd better check again," he laughed as he wriggled his hips against her bottom.

"I meant me," she groaned leaning forward and trying to raise herself up. He placed a hand on her shoulder drawing her back down between his legs.

"Relax, we have plenty of time, especially since we don't have to rise ahead of the sun to go back to our separate rooms." He leaned forward a bit to retrieve one of the wine glasses from the floor beside the tub. He took a sip and handed the glass to her.

"This is nice," she said taking a sip of the wine. She then wrapped her arms around her knees and leaned forward as Charles massaged her back with a wet flannel.

"I'm pretty sure it was Anna who picked out the wine. She's been a very quick study in the dining room," he said as he took the glass from her for another taste.

Elsie turned in the tub and raised herself up as she pushed his knees together so that she could straddle his lap. "I meant the back rub." She took the glass from him and leaned over to set it back on the floor. She slid her arms around his neck and leaned in to kiss him. She nibbled and sucked on his lower lip before slipping her tongue in to tease alongside his.

His hands slid over her hips as he grasped her bottom and pulled her tightly against his lap. He could feel his arousal grow as she pressed her breasts against his chest. He groaned when she pulled back from their kiss but soon realized that her breasts were now in the perfect position for him to suckle and play with. He took one into his mouth as he brushed his thumb across the nipple of the other.

She felt the warmth in her core ignite when he bit down playfully on her breast. She gently ran her hands up his sides and across his chest tangling her fingers in his graying chest hair. She felt his arousal twitch against her thigh as she raked her fingernails over his nipples. She shuddered suddenly when his fingers gently but firmly began to explore her center. It wasn't long before she ached to feel him inside of her.

He felt the muscles of her legs flex beneath his hands as she raised herself up and positioned him at her entrance. His hands moved to her hips to gently guide her down as he felt her warmth sheath him entirely. He lost himself to the sensations as she began to raise and lower herself.

She rested her hands lightly atop his shoulders as she tried to set a slow and steady rhythm. She focused on the connection between them as the knot in her center continued to tighten. She leaned slightly forward and arched her back in an effort to slow her own release but she found the change in position only increased the sensations and the need.

It wasn't long before his thrusts became erratic indicating that his release was near. She lifted her head so that she could watch his expressions. They locked gazes as their rhythm increased in tempo and urgency. He threw back his head and arched his back as he exploded inside of her. "Elsie!" he gasped and that was all it took for her to fall over the edge after him. She collapsed on his chest as wave after wave of pleasure crashed over her.

When his senses finally returned, he found himself holding her against his chest as he rubbed small circles on her back. He kissed her gently when she raised her head up to look at him.

"You are so beautiful when you let go like that," she murmured as she lowered her head to his chest again.

He laughed and kissed the top of her head and rubbed her arms. He looked around and noticed that the bath water had cooled significantly so he nudged her to sit up. There also seemed to be significantly less water in the tub and he looked down over the side to find the floor very wet and two glasses filled with wine and bathwater. She looked over the side of the tub to see what had caught his attention.

"Waste of good wine," she said looking at him sheepishly.

"But well worth it," he said pulling her in for another kiss. "I suppose we should get out and clean up this mess. Wouldn't do to have warped floorboards the day after we get moved in, now would it."

They mopped up the floor in the bathroom and Charles padded out to the kitchen to put the glasses in the sink. When he returned to the bedroom, Elsie was already wrapped up in the sheets and wearing a very wicked grin.

"What?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.

"I just wonder what would happen if you were to walk into Mrs. Patmore's kitchen with just a towel wrapped around your waist."

He shuddered at the thought. "This is a style that I prefer to keep just for you and me," he quipped dropping the towel and climbing into the bed next to her. He reached over and blew out the lamp and cuddled up to her back as she turned on her side.

"I love you, Elsie Carson," he whispered in her ear as he snuggled against her neck.

"I love you too," she sighed with contentment.

It wasn't long before they were both sound asleep, neither one of them remembering that they still hadn't eaten.

_**A/N2: I enjoyed writing this but was also concerned that it seemed so out of context with the rest of "The Groom's Cottage" and almost didn't post it. Please review and let me know what you think of it so that I can have a yardstick for measuring against future stories. THANKS! ;-)**_

_**P.S. Don't forget to return to "The Groom's Cottage" and finish the epilogue if you haven't read it already!**_


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